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Natalie stuck with a red silk gown that hugged her curves and fell like water to the floor. It was timeless and stunning and so, so her. This was all right for her, I realized. Natalie was charismatic and charming and undeniable. The demons loved her; they didn’t even blink when they found out she wasn’t one of them.
Me? I had nearly been drowned.
That was the difference between us. She was brave and bold, whereas I was weak and passive.
And that was the exact reason Natalie practically dragged me from the house and into the car that waited for us outside, ready to whisk us away to the party.
“You’re nervous,” Natalie said once we were inside the back of the sleek black sedan.
“Maybe.” I stared out the window as we merged into the large city ahead. “Or maybe I just don’t want to wear this ridiculous gown at a demon event for your boyfriend.”
“First of all, Wrath is not my boyfriend.” She flipped her hair over her shoulder, purposely exposing the still-healing bite mark that matched the scarlet dress. “Second of all, I know deep down, you would be sad if you missed this. This is a big deal, Lyra, for both Wrath and Alek. We should be here to support them.”
I scoffed. “I’m not sure the big, bad demons need us women to protect them. They seem to handle things just fine on their own.”
“Don’t kid yourself. Behind every powerful man—or demon—is a slew of women trying to make him look good. There’s a reason the veil is slipping and the world is falling apart, Lyra, and it wasn’t because of a woman. I can tell you that much.”
I bit my cheek to keep from smiling, but part of me knew she had a point.
I remembered the way Alek had submitted beneath me, had surrendered to my body as I controlled everything, as I pulled the blood from his veins.
It felt… good to be in charge. To hold the power.
It felt right.
Theia had spent my entire life showing me the opposite of power. She consistently reminded me of how weak and unlovable I was, how I was not enough to be one with the real world.
I was never good enough. I was never strong enough.
But now? In this life with the Night Ravens?
I could see hope on the horizon like a rising sun, ready to encapsulate me in golden magic.
Nat and I stared out the window, watching the city blur by as we drove through each street. Before I knew it, we were pulling up to the massive ballroom hidden within the city.
“You ready?” I asked as the car came to a halt. I reached my hand out to her instinctively.
She took it, gripping me tightly. “Always.”
The door swung open and guards were immediately next to us, ushering us out of the car and into the grand stone building that awaited us.
“Damn,” Nat breathed as soon as we were inside. “If I knew the demons were this classy, I wouldn’t have been so quick to judge.”
Natalie hooked her arm around mine as we walked through the arching doors, entering into the grand ballroom that awaited us.
I had been here only a couple of months ago, but nothing could have been more different. The regal, timeless setting had changed completely, replaced with a modern, luxuries show of diamonds and ice-sculptures. Live music flowed through the air in a beautifully alluring tune. The room was filled with demons now, all wearing black tuxedos and beautiful glittering ballgowns, all mingling and drinking and behaving in a completely foreign way to what we witnessed at Night Raven.
“This is incredible!” Natalie squealed, gazing around in wonder. “Have you ever seen anything more stunning?”
Yes, I wanted to say. Those stars that first night at the lake with Alek. Nothing would compare to that, because it was never just the stars that had blown me away.
It was the freedom that held so much beauty.
“Not quite,” I replied. I couldn’t keep my eyes from flickering around the room, from searching for that one familiar face that I knew would be here.
My heart raced, too, as if anticipating he was near, as if remembering the thrill of drinking his blood all over again. Was this what he felt every time I was near? Did his heart betray him this way, too?
Or was it just me, completely lost in the drunk thoughts of Alek’s blood on my tongue?
